Pumpkin and spinach curry

Photo Credit: "© [Real Life Recipes By Tom Kerridge - Photography By Cristain Barnett] / Adobe Stock

 

Pumpkin and coconut milk make this mild, chunky curry extra sweet and creamy, while spinach stirred through at the end gives it a fresh, green vibrancy. Making your own curry paste is easy and you’ll be amazed by the intense flavours you get.

Ingredients:

  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 5cm piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 long red chilli, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 onions, finely diced
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes (or sieved tomatoes)
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 900g–1kg peeled deseeded pumpkin (or butternut squash), cut into 4cm chunks
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 200g baby spinach leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO MAKE:

  1. Put the garlic, ginger and chilli into a small food processor and blitz to a rough paste. (Alternatively, you can grate the garlic and ginger and finely chop the chilli, then mix them all together.) Set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a high heat. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and stir well. Once they begin to sizzle, add the onions to the pan and sauté over a high heat for 4–5 minutes or until just starting to caramelise around the edges.
  3. Add the chilli-garlic-ginger paste to the pan and stir well. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute then add the ground spices and ½ tsp salt. Stir again and lower the heat to medium, so the spices can cook gently.
  4. When you can really smell those spices, it’s time to add the tomatoes and vegetable stock. Stir well and add the pumpkin (or squash). Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Pop a lid on the pan and leave to cook gently for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid from the sauté pan and stir in the coconut milk. Simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes or until the pumpkin (or squash) is tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
  6. When you’re about to serve up the curry, stir through the spinach. Once it is wilted, you are ready to go. Serve with rice or warm naan bread sprinkled with chopped coriander.